Cook Islands scored the coveted top spot in Lonely Planet’s best places to travel in 2022.Travel publisher Lonely Planet unveiled its top 10 countries, cities and regions to visit next year with the release of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2022.Its Lonely Planet’s 17th annual collection of the world’s hottest destinations and the must-have travel experiences for the year ahead. This edition places particular emphasis on the best sustainable travel experiences — ensuring travellers will have a positive impact wherever they choose to go.Remote and proudly independent the Cook Islands – one of the world’s smallest countries – claims the coveted spot as the number-one country to seek out in 2022, while Norway places second and Mauritius third.Lonely Planet’s number-one region for 2022 is the Westfjords, Iceland, a region of the island nation untouched by mass tourism where communities are working together to protect and promote their spectacular landscapes. West Virginia, USA comes in second, followed by Xingshuabanna, China.Number-one city Auckland, New Zealand was recognised for its blossoming cultural scene where the spotlight is on local creativity, while Taipei, Taiwan is second-ranked, with Freiburg, Germany in third place.Each year, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel lists start with nominations from Lonely Planet’s vast community of staff, writers, bloggers, publishing partners and more. The nominations are then whittled down by their panel of travel experts to just 10 countries, 10 regions and 10 cities. Each is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences, ‘wow’ factor and its ongoing commitment to sustainable tourism practices.According to Lonely Planet’s VP of Experience Tom Hall the release of Lonely Planet’s annual “hot list” of destinations and travel experiences could not be more timely. “After an enforced hiatus, it’s time to take those long-postponed travel plans off the shelf and make them a reality,” Hall said on release of the list today.“The lists celebrate the world in all its wonderful enticing variety,” Hall continues. “From the lagoons and forests of the Cook Islands to the waterfalls and mountains of Iceland’s Westfjords, via Auckland’s natural and urban delights.”As always Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel delivers new takes on popular destinations such as Norway and Dublin, Ireland, and unearths some lesser-known gems like Shikoku, Japan and Australia’s gorgeous Scenic Rim and arguably Germany’s most sustainable city Freiburg.”
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2022 – Destination Top 10’s
